The Grasp of Nighttide

by Sadaf Zulfikar

  “At least let me make it better,” Derek began, looking around at the shabby small hall and through the open door of the smallest room Steph had ever slept in.

  “No.” Steph flatly said, sitting down. “I like it this way, and I didn’t call you to inspect the house or make things better for me. I might’ve been wrong in thinking about giving our relationship another chance. Why do you assume I need to be taken care of?”

  Derek caved easily, as she knew he would. He carefully sat down beside her, with a worrying look at the sofa, fearful that it might give way. Then he gave that signature smile of his like nothing had changed since the time they were best buddies- and that was a long time ago.

  Derek had been Steph’s only friend from the day he’d joined her new school, a week after she had. It was very exciting news for Rosalie because he was Steph’s first real friend ever. As time advanced, her widowed mom and Derek’s divorced dad, Jacob Lawson, had also come closer. Jacob was helping Rosalie with the money crisis she was facing, and Rosalie couldn’t help beginning to see him as a knight in shining armor. Steph and Derek had no idea that their parents were involved in just more than the general stuff, and were much surprised when they announced their impending marriage.

  The wedding was tremendous for both of them. They’d be more than friends; they’d be family. But happiness did not last long for Steph. Steph had been very emotionally unstable since childhood. Any tiny thing could be an issue, school seemed impossible and a problem was like the end of the world to her young mind. She was the worst in being good company with her short temper and always had to have everything her way. Over time Rosalie grew very close to Derek, pushing her own daughter further away, making Steph feel less and less like a member of the family, and more and more like unwanted baggage from a bygone time.. There was more of Derek all the time. More praise, more attention, and more love being shown to her new step-brother, leaving her neglected and jealous. Of course Derek was an ideal son, but what about her? That had worsened Steph’s behavioral problems, had made her even more of a problem child. She sometimes even wondered if Rosalie considered her evil, like her dad, and finally had given up on her. Jacob always made sure she had what she wanted and treated her same as Derek as much as possible, but he wasn’t exactly the type to talk to kids about their feelings, and most of the time not even available.

  “Steph?” Derek brought her back to the conversation, which Steph had zoned out of. “I was telling you about Alice. Are you even listening?”

  “Uh, yeah,” Steph said, shaking the cobwebs from her head. “So did Alice like the blood?”

  Damn! So did Alice like the blood art on her wall? What was she thinking to even say that much of the sentence? Derek gave a confused stare, trying to make sense of what she wanted to say.

  “I mean, does Alice like that bloody guy stalking her? Ron whatever,” Steph sounded as evenly as she could.

  His look softened, “Doesn’t look like it.”

  “So you and Alice have night plans going sometime?” she asked casually.

  Please say no, please let her be alone.

  “Nope,” he replied as she hoped. “Going out with Anna tonight. Diner then… Haven’t thought about it yet. Wanna come? I’m sure Anna would like that. It has been long since you two met.”

  The last sentence was true. One time she had met Anna was when she came up there with her new family that included Jacob and Derek. Anna had a big collection of dolls which she kept telling Steph about. One day she showed it- ten proper dolls sitting on her enormous bed. Steph eyed them in sadness, wishing she could have them. Derek later had made sure Steph got twelve dolls that were even better. She could recall him smile seeing her joy. She had kept those dolls for a year before throwing them in the trash. Yes, not giving them away but throwing them away, and making sure Derek saw her do it so he could know how much she hated him. He never mentioned a word about that. He didn’t throw a rage like she would’ve if anyone threw her gift away like she did. He was a good person from the very beginning .Bad, but good. Whatever. He could not be forgiven.

  “I’ll pass, thanks. Kinda tired.” Steph turned off the memory and yawned. “I will get some sleep now.”

  “Okay. You rest.” He got up. “Let me know when we can meet again. I’ll keep calling. And let me know if you need something.”

  *****

  After a short nap with dark dreams, Steph awoke and decided to take a walk. She wandered the small town for hours, taking special note of what life looked like ‘downtown’ in a place like this. New York was nothing like this, the pace was different, the smell, the atmosphere, there was something slower in the air here. She liked it. New York would prove harder for her mission without being noticed, this place was a piece of cake. A homeless, shabby old man curled up near the wall. She and Rosalie were on the verge of being homeless once after John had died, Steph remembered. Jacob and Derek were a help at that time but not all were so lucky to be helped by people they knew. This man looked like one of those unlucky ones. Steph watched as some coins clunked in the food can in front of him and a lady laid down her shawl. It took a lot out of him to not shiver in the cold with the thin material he had on. He took the shawl and folded his bare feet inside of it.

  Steph fished out the money she had from her bag. Eight dollars. That wouldn’t make his life. That is when Steph caught the store selling lottery tickets. She knew what to do. She had never been able to buy her mom a ticket back when they’d needed the money when she was little, but now she could buy one. She bought a ticket and stood in front of the man who looked at her with sad and scared eyes that melted her heart.

  Instead of just handing it over, she sat beside him, “I don’t have much to offer except this ticket.”

  “Thank you,” he puffed a cloud of frost.

  “What’s your name?” Steph asked.

  “Finn” he replied with a raspy voice.

  “What happened to you?”

  “You want to talk to a homeless bum like me?” He let out a surprised laugh and Steph nodded in concern “I got a problem in my leg and lost my job. The doctor said I need treatment but I didn’t have that kind of money. I lost my family with the cash. My son, my daughter-in-law said they’re disgusted of me. They won’t let me meet my grandson.”

  Steph never cried, but her eyes stung with the hurt in his voice. She wanted to hug him and say that things will change for him, but instead laid a hand on his shoulder.“ What would you do if you won the lottery?”

  “I’d clean up and become presentable. Would buy a bottle of wine, some gifts and go to my son’s home. Guess they’ll let me meet my little Mathew then.” His eyes turned numb to teary.

  Before she knew it, Steph had come out of her comfort zone telling him jokes and talking to this man who had lost everything. The man laughed and laughed and Steph knew it wasn’t because she was funny, but because the jokes were stupid. He kept suggesting that she leave him and get out of the cold, but Steph refused. She was not moving until the results were drawn because he shouldn’t miss them.

  Meanwhile she told him about her life a bit too, not too much just the general stuff of where she was born and how New York was.

  When it was close to time for the lottery numbers to be drawn, Steph led the man for the results. He had difficulty walking, but Steph wanted him to see with his own eyes. As the conclusion was drawn, Steph was confident they’d won without even looking, but to behave like a normal person she actually compared. All five numbers matched, the prize was 1.4 million dollars. Finn jumped a few feet high and then promptly held his leg in pain. But the pain was nothing compared to the happiness, tears of joy ran down his face.

  “I don’t want the whole amount,” he told Steph.

  “Well, I don’t want any of it,” Steph said. “Now please, take care of yourself and don’t show your son and daughter-in-law any mercy for what they did.”

  “They are my family; I can’t stay mad at them for long. In fact I’m no
t even mad at them anymore! How could I be? This is the happiest day of my life!”

  Steph thought that was stupid and shook her head. The whole forgiveness thing was stupid. She never knew how to forgive and the unforgiving nature was in her blood. Evil blood carried evil qualities.

  “Steph, I don’t know what to say to you,” Finn said holding both her hands. “Stick around. People need to know about how you changed my life.”

  “Do me one favor in return,” Steph said glancing around. The person at the register was excited as well but attracting attention could be bad for her, “Tell him that I just helped you to the store. Don’t let anyone know about me. That will get me into trouble.” Finn suddenly looked at her differently. Who was this strange woman who had bought him millions but didn’t want anything in return? Steph suddenly realized how bizarre she must appear and how reckless it was to risk her mission on a moment’s weakness of pity for this stranger.

  “Okay, but I have to say you are an angel in disguise.”

  Steph wondered what he would think if he knew what she was about to do tonight and realized she really had to get going.

  *****

  Just like any good planner, Steph had checked out the house before tonight. Yesterday the window of the room was not secure, and she hoped it wouldn’t be now as well. To her luck it wasn’t and the same little boy slept inside. ‘Howie’ was printed on the wardrobe, on the little quilt and even on the night stand. Steph crept silently up to him, and clasped her hand over his mouth just as he opened his eyes in fright. Her black cloak and black cloth on her face were enough to give a ghostly feeling to anyone, especially a kid. Steph had to shake the thought that he was about the same age as Kim and Kate. She felt bad, but when it came to her mission, her feelings couldn’t come in the way, ever. She took out her knife to scare him and he gave in. Trembling in fear, he walked towards the window and when she quietly signaled for him to climb out, he did. Steph was swiftly out behind him and grabbed the little boy by the collar of his shirt and held him from running.

  “Get on the road”, Steph hissed in his ear, shoving him to the front.

  “Ron told me about you. You are the Road Demon,” Howie said, clearly terrified.

  Steph laughed, so typical that he said that. Howie didn’t voluntarily step on the road but with the point of her knife in his back, Steph made him get moving.

  Just then, she sensed Alice hiding nearby, not knowing that she couldn’t hide from Steph. She sneered in victory. Finally, Alice couldn’t get away from her tonight. As she pushed her new hostage down the road, Steph felt something strange and dreadful creep over her. For the first time in a long time, she was truly afraid.

  CHAPTER 14

  Alice found herself leaning on the couch, in front of the fireplace. She couldn’t comprehend what she was actually doing; sleeping or just sitting there? Alice realized, belatedly, that it was the doorbell that snapped her out of whatever her frame of mind was.

  She tied her hair in a loose ponytail and transformed it to a messy bun as she approached the door. She treaded lightly as light fell on the floor indicating an unknown time in the morning. She was right in guessing -she didn’t exactly have many options to choose from either- that it was Derek.

  “Hey! I got your Vespa!” Even before she could see him fully, he stepped to the side revealing it to her.

  It looked sparkly; making her wonder if it was the same one. She recognized ‘RW’ on the custom seat. It had a new paint job, which she hadn’t asked for.

  “Thought you would like some glitter,” he said. “And I expected you to be thrilled, not shocked like that.”

  “It’s pretty. Thank you,” Alice said smiling at him.

  “Come on let’s get you practice,” Derek said. “I’ve got shades for us, and helmets.”

  “Let me get showered first,” Alice said and looked down at her pjs. “Come in.”

  “Okay as long as you don’t take too much time like Anna.”

  Alice considered that as an opportunity to get in competition with Anna. She grabbed a fresh pair of jeans and a new shirt and headed for the shower. In a matter of minutes as she was done, the sound of water from the shower was replaced by a ruffling one coming from her room.

  Alice put an ear to the door and listened. There was no doubt that it came from her room. She quickly got into her clothes and stepped out. And her pounding heart eased looking at Derek. He was going through her closet, he was searching for something.

  “Oh hi,” he said sheepishly, caught red-handed. “Was just going through your dresses. I like this black one.” He took the black gown out with the hanger. “The price tag is on? Gosh you must wear this sometime.”

  Alice was surprised and her voice was shrill with disbelief. “What were you doing in my closet?” It was unacceptable and being it the second time he did that, Alice was angry. Going through someone’s closet- especially when it belongs to a girl- wasn’t normal behavior.

  “Nothing. Just going through your dress collection.”

  “Does that include my lingerie?” Alice pointed to an open carton box.

  “No no,” he closed the lid and put the box inside, in its place- next to the bags. “I swear I didn’t go through that.”

  “Never open my closet again. Is that clear?” Alice folded her arms, giving the impression that she was serious. “Never ever again.”

  “Okay.” He gave a broad smile, not a bit ashamed for what he did. “I’ll be waiting outside.”

  *****

  Derek sat on the end of the seat, giving space for Alice to slip in before him. He smiled before handing her a helmet.

  “Am I riding?” Alice asked, adjusting the straps.

  “Yeah. So?” Derek shrugged.

  “I don’t even know if I can ride this thing, Derek,” Alice gestured to the Vespa.

  “Oh, sorry,” He slid to the front of the seat. “It’s funny how I forget that it’s not yours.” Derek laughed and Alice rolled her eyes, not knowing what was so funny to him. “I don’t believe I’m doing this.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Never mind.” Derek shifted the conversation to practice. “Pay attention.”

  Derek showed her the basics and as he did, Alice had an intuition and all of a sudden she grew confident like she was born to ride. She told Derek that she’d try herself and he sat behind her just in case. She could feel him close- she knew it was to help her if she did anything wrong, but she wondered if it was something more than that too.

  Alice got the hang of it quickly, speeding around the house in circles. The wind caught up, blowing against her face. She couldn’t help feeling ecstatic. It was so fun and refreshing- and best of all, the Vespa was now hers. Derek screamed sarcastically. Thinking of getting back at him for checking her wardrobe she shook the handlebars. But it turned out to be a bad idea, because she lost control- with the speed and the wind force- and was sure they were headed for a fall. Just then Derek reached for the brakes and dug his feet into the ground.

  They stopped, but Alice’s heart was still pounding. “I’m sorry ‘bout that.”

  “Happens,” Derek said, and she realized he was still leaning with the handlebars under his grip. She could feel his torso pressed against her back, and hear his breath. “You did well.”

  Alice didn’t need to hear that from him to know. She was no doubt good. It made her think she was an adventurous person- she might’ve tried many more cool things in the past. She wasn’t sure but it was a possibility, and the very thought sparked her to life.

  “Shall we hit the town?”

  “That confident huh?” There was clear amusement in his voice.

  “More than ever!”

  “Looks like you are opening up.” He laughed. “Let’s go.”

  There wasn’t a hint of hesitation as Alice took on the streets. She confidently and carefully took on the cars and other vehicles, and it felt like Derek began to relax at the back- knowing she could handle it herself. Mr.
and Mrs. Paul were there walking. Mr. Paul gave a thumbs up and Mrs. Paul- a very baffled stare. It pleased her, for the first time ever, that they noticed her. Alice was happy - and not alone.

  Ron was standing outside the store, perhaps looking around for something to entertain himself with. But the moment he saw them, he turned quickly and went inside. Alice applied the brake. Something popped up in her mind right then; she wanted to meet Howard.

  “Stay right here,” she ordered Derek. “I need to have a word with Ron.”

  When Alice pushed through the door, Ron pretended to be busy arranging canned food on a shelf.

  “Hey, how’s Howie? It’s been a while since I’ve seen him.” Alice said, not paying attention to the fact that Ron hadn’t looked up yet.

  “An incident occurred last night.” He looked into Alice’s eyes.

  “What incident? Is he okay?” A knot tightened in her stomach. Howie was in her dream last night. Was it real?

  “Yes, he is alright.”

  “What happened last night?”

  “I was sitting in my room late at night and there was a loud, wild knocking on the door. It was Howie. It was a shock to me because he had been in bed for some time. He said he was kidnapped by a person covered in black but was too shaken up to say anything else,” Ron confessed, in the same serious tone he used on so called date. “I talked to the police earlier today and they are taking it lightly especially as Howie had no details to offer.”

  Alice remembered seeing something like that last night. It swirled in her head like a bizarre dream. Howie was on the road, the black entity behind him. Maybe the same one she thought she saw in the previous dream. Alice had ducked so that she would not be spotted… The next, and only thing she could recall, was that Ron came out with a gun.

  “Didn’t you see whom it was? Didn’t you try to catch the person?”